Determination

When I was studying at the University of Alberta, one young couple was quite fond of me. They were Norman and Nicky Suvan. Whenever the Suvans had a party or function to attend in the evenings, they would call me to go over to babysit their little boy who was 13 months old.

Every year, the Suvans would go to Maui in January to escape the cold Canadian winter. They would stay in their lovely condominium by the beach for two months. That January in 1981, they decided to take me with them to Maui, as my ears were giving me some problem, and my doctor advised me to stay and rest in a warmer place.

We had a great time in the beautiful Hawaiin Island. Every morning, the sunrise would be so breath taking. The sunset was equally beautiful. Sometimes the sea would turn reddish brown in colour because of the soil from the volcanic mountains.
Mr. Suvan's parents, Arnold and Florence Suvan also came to Hawaii later on and stayed for a month. They were both in their eighties, but were still very robust and romantic! They would do everything together. Grandmother Florence told me that when her husband was running his hardware business, she would help him in the shop and when she was cooking in the kitchen, Grandpa Arnold would help her cut and wash the dishes.

One day, Mr. Suvan took his father fishing. They only returned to the condominium in the evening. The moment he entered the condominium, Grandpa called out to his beloved, "Where's Grandma? Where's Grandma?" I told him Grandma was by the swimming pool, and I quickly trailed behind Grandpa to observe him. The moment he saw Grandma by the pool, he gave her a big hug, and said, "Oh, I miss you, sweetheart!" Gosh, it had only been a day since Grandpa was away fishing with his son, but he acted as if he had not seen Grandma for years! I smiled and it suddenly dawned upon me why this lovely couple had stayed blissfully married for sixty years!

After the two months vacation was over, we flew to Los Angeles to visit Mrs. Suvan's grandmother. We stayed with her for a week. Great Grandmother Jane lived near Santa Monica and her lovely house was just a stone's throw from the beach.

One day, Mrs. Suvan's parents joined her in Los Angeles. I had never tasted such excellent cheese omellete which was lovingly prepared by the elderly couple. I found cheese to be too pungent, and it was the very first time that I had been persuaded to eat cheese! Later I found out the the recipe was from a prize winning recipe that was published in the Los Angeles Times. I thought I would also try and submit a recipe. When Great Grandmother Jane heard that, she asserted, "No! No! No! You're not going to cook in my kitchen!" Although my spirit sank momentarily, I refused to let her words discourage me. Cheerfully I said, "It's ok, grandma, I can always imagine the taste and texture and cook in my head." "You'll never win a prize!" declared Grandma Jane. "We'll see, Grandma.... I do my best, and leave God to do the rest."

Those two months in Maui and California were an eye opener for me. I had never seen any of my grandparents. They passed away before I was born. Hence I enjoyed the company of these lovely elderly people, even though Great Grandma Jane was quite difficult. I envied Nicky that even at the age of 32, she still had a grandmother! I always enjoyed listening to the elderly because they had such rich experiences in life.

Two months later in Edmonton, I received a registered letter in the mail. The recipe I had submitted had been voted by Californian readers to be the best and I won US$50/- cash prize!

Gan Chau